A1 Solar Power (Link for Threads on the Home Page)

Bogus operations do not follow the law. In other words, the calls you are receiving are not from a legitimate business.

In 2013 I received  unsolicited calls from telemarketers wanting to sell me various solar products because I was a long time homeowner. Notice I wrote "telemarketers".

I had to reply this post because I've seen it around the web under different names and in various places. It seems like a rumor that wants to get started rather than an opportunity to alert people of bad telemarketing activities. Look, I hate these calls more than anyone else, and I don't get them like I got in 2013 because I block them, and I make sure wherever I spend, cash is king. These telemarketers get our numbers from what we do everyday. In the case of solar companies contacting me, I too received calls from A1 Solar Power in late 2013 - and I received two calls: One was because I asked for further information  -- and two, was the call with further information and I declined their services and asked them to remove me from their calls..I must be lucky because I told them I was not interested and (knock wood) never was contacted again from the --BUT I have been contacted through other telemarketers trying to sell me solar anything.

It's easy to bet that if a company calls, it's the same company -- and I got the annoying robo calls. But I do not assume anything. I do not assume because companies are in close proximity of each other hey are the same. In the case of the information above, I did some checking and there are 5 different solar companies within miles of each other and none of them have the same owners, etc. and I can assume they all call people! Be careful of what people post. I'm not sticking up for this company or any other that calls folks time and time again, but if you are going to name names, make sure your information is to help others and not based on anything else -like getting back at a company, or being the company's rival to make them look bad or just spreading bad information.

This is serious. We don't want the calls and we want those who abuse the calls to stop, there are ways to do it yourself -- and if that doesn't work, there are other ways but be careful of posts like this and following after posts like this do your own research. I did and much of this is wrong, and this is how internet rumors start. On the other hand, if it is this solar company only making the calls to you, block your phone (I did, it's free), and protect yourself from other calls by not getting yourself on lists (The DNC list only goes so far I learned), and you cannot stop these people if you continue to buy things and demand that they do not report your buying habits to telemarketing list buyers. Telemarketers wont call, if we don't buy.

To be honest I think calling these operations telemarketers is giving them too much credit and that is why I call unwanted callers telelmaggoters.
It doesn't mater to me what they are calling about.

For those interested a TCPA class action has been filed.

Marilynn Loveless v. A1 Solar Power, Inc.
California Central District Court, Case No. 5:14-cv-01779

I think "surveys" are exempt from DNC rules, just like charity solicitations and politicians.
Not that people with this lack of ethics would honor the DNC in the first place.

Surveys are exempt. However I believe there are operations that use these exemption in an effort to get around the DNCR in an attempt to sell or scam people.

This was discussed in late August. Apparently I need a pull quote from the FTC to underline my point.

"Surveys or political polls:
If calls are being made for the sole purpose of conducting a survey or poll, they are exempt. But purported survey calls are not exempt if they are also part of a plan, program or campaign to induce purchases of goods or services. Organizations placing such telemarketing calls must comply with the Do Not Call provisions and are not Exempt Organizations."

from an FTC guide for telemarketers accessing the Registry:
http://business.ftc.gov/documents/alt129-qa-t ... -provisions-tsr

As well, there are several state and federal court case decisions holding that a "survey" whose ultimate purpose is to sell goods/things is a sales call and not exempt. And many, many "non-profit organizations" are not exempt because they are not bona fide charities. Instead, "non-profit" is often a subterfuge to mislead call recipients into believing the calls are legitimate. The infamous "Rachel from Cardmember Services" robocalls now routinely say Cardmember Services is a "non-profit."

I believe most of these operations use the loopholes in order to get around the DNCR.

If they claim to be a non-profit ask them for their EIN. Chances are they won't even know what that is (any real non-profit will have been assigned an EIN by the federal government and legal telemarketers will make sure their representatives know what it is – or can find out quickly).

When they admit they don't know what their EIN is you can offer to look it up for them by their business name. The IRS has a web site just for this purpose at http://www.irs.gov/Charities-&-Non-Profits/Exempt-Organizations-Select-Check 
Then it's just a matter of a few seconds for you to prove they are not a non-profit.

47 USC section 227 (a) (4) (C) specifies "tax exempt nonprofit organizations," and no telemarketers, other than callers for charities, have used the qualifiers "tax exempt"  in their sales spiels to me. Thank you for the IRS website. I'm guessing the telemarketers leave off the "tax exempt" qualifier to avoid triggering a request for their EIN.

This is GREAT news!  I Googled "California Central District Court, Case No. 5:14-cv-01779", and was able to read the entire class action complaint document (on plainsite.org, under the heading "A1 Solar Power, Inc., Defendant", and then by clicking on the sixth icon from the top--just to the left of "1 Filed: 8/28/2014, Entered: None").  The A1 Solar Power reign of phone terror may finally be coming to an end.  What a relief!

i just thought u should know they are   calling in maryland, virgina, penn state to. thru  the internet. ive gotten several calls from   them, and i tell them i am not allowed to have solar panels in my neighborhood.  i usually dont answer  these kind of calls, yet i was thinking it was  my family calling me back.  thank god for this site. i have it book marked. and so many scams, con artists out there now days.... thanks again for putting that information on the site!

"Lower your electric bill" seems to be the new "lower your interest rates".

CALL THIS NUMBER TO MAKE IT STOP

818 924- 3306

Leave a message with this number it is the National Renewable Energy Resource main line. Give them the number they are calling and they will take it off of their list !!!